PHOTO BY MARK LORENZ
Matt Sawicki, director of championships for the United States Golf Association, met with U.S. Senior Open managers at Salem Country Club on Wednesday and Thursday.
By BILL BROTHERTON
PEABODY – The U.S. Senior Open doesn’t arrive at Salem Country Club until late June, but Matt Sawicki, director of championships for the United States Golf Association, and his team have been planning the event for some three years. Those efforts are heating up in advance of the June 26-July 2 championship, the crown jewel of the Senior circuit.
Sawicki spent most of Wednesday and Thursday at Salem CC, meeting with Eddie Carbone, executive director for the Senior Open, and his Bruno Event Team management staff. Sawicki said the purpose of the visit was twofold: on Wednesday the team brainstormed over marketing efforts and developing an initial plan for the spring campaign. On Thursday, the team toured the course with executives from corporate sponsor Lexus, going over such logistics as where the Fox TV towers will be situated, where people will congregate on the course and spectator flow.
“I often get asked, ‘What takes so long to plan an event such as the U.S. Senior Open,’ ” said Sawicki, a resident of Hoboken, N.J. “Well, by the time the championship rolls around everything is so intricately detailed that we’re confident that every person who walks on the course on the Monday of championship week will get the highest quality experience that’s possible.
“The volunteer leadership team at Salem has been great. This is a major commitment by members, who give up their course for several weeks, but everyone here is committed to making this an incredible success,” added Sawicki, who expects to visit Salem CC at least every couple of weeks as the championship nears.
For a more in-depth look at Matt Sawicki and what it takes to mount an undertaking as intense as the U.S. Senior Open, check out the next issue of North Shore Golf magazine, arriving in March.
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